Bok prop bizarrely misses big Sale match after trying to 'doctor' himself: 'It's ridiculous'

Springbok prop Coenie Oosthuizen had to bizarrely miss Sale's English Premiership fixture against Saracens last weekend because he botched up "doctoring" himself.

The 33-year-old, who's played 20 Tests and was part of the expanded national squad for last year's Lions series, was a conspicuous absentee after he apparently "picked up an injury in the warm-up".

However, Sale coach Alex Sanderson revealed that wasn't exactly the case.

Oosthuizen suffered a nasty bite from an unidentified insect on his leg, which saw a lot of pus emerging.

Perhaps taking a leaf out of the book of another former Bok prop in Jannie du Plessis, who is a qualified medical doctor, the former Cheetahs and Sharks front-rower tried to treat the pus himself.

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"He will be over the moon people are interested in his insect bite," a laughing Sanderson was quoted as saying by Rugby Pass.

"I don't know what type of insect it was. It's just because it has got warm and we have a few bugs in and around the training ground. We have got an equestrian centre next door do and it might be something from that, might be something from the manure, but I can find out if you like and get back to you.

"The report I got from the doctor on game day was he tried to do something to himself, tried to syringe or maybe took a knife to it to get the pus out himself. In doing so it created more infection and then he couldn’t run the next day."

The good news is that Oosthuizen responded quickly and effectively to the medication he was belatedly prescribed.

"He's fine now, running around like a spring chicken. The antibiotics kicked in," said Sanderson.

"Of all the things that could keep you out, it was an insect bite last